Saints Preserve Us!, an art show of contemporary ex-votos, altars, and shrines, will be on exhibit Friday October 3 through Saturday October 25 at The Yards, 50-52 Public Market Way, Rochester. Hours are Friday October 3, 6:00 to 9:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; and by appointment. 

This wide-ranging exhibit includes painting, installation, collage, photography, and mixed media by 21 different artists.  According to show organizer and curator Rivkah Simcha, “As a long-time participant of the show, it has been a joy to join the curation team this year, witness artist submissions, and see where things fit together. This year I noticed a political bend to some of the work, and the theme of remembrance, holding space for suffering, and for the preservation of hope through hardship. It’s going to be an incredible exhibition!”

Works on display include Ancestral Breath by Suzanne Jacobs, a painting that reflects remembrance and gratitude for all those who have molded us into ourselves. Susan Vadakin’s Where are the Canaries in the Coal Mine? pays tribute to those who detect impending danger.  Danielle Suzanne Smith offers The [Holy] Anthropocene Boundary, a mixed media altar to species destroyed through mankind’s interventions.

In Monstrance 47, artist Jim Herrmann replaces the Eucharist which would normally be displayed in a monstrance with a slot machine token from the Trump Plaza Casino Atlantic City, commenting upon the relationship between the US Catholic Church and the US President.  Ludmila Begley’s THE F[L]IGHT OF THE WORLD uses orthodox iconography to portray a contemporary Jesus in a piece of both despair and hope, fatigue and resistance.

Other artists represented are Molly Darling, Francesca Falli-Pollarte, Jim Fischer, Candice Grimes, LX, Paola Macas Betchart, Laurie MacFarlane, Beth MacFarlane, Michelle L. Miller, Lydia J. Nightingale, Dina Noto, Cielo Ornelas MacFarlane, Sam Mulcahy, Jina Park, Rivkah Simcha, and Tina Starr.

Saints Preserve Us! is an annual exhibit established in 2021. It is organized and curated by Cielo Ornelas MacFarlane, Laurie MacFarlane, and Rivkah Simcha, and made possible with support from The Yards Collective.

The opening of Saints Preserve Us! is Friday October 3 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The show runs through October 26 and can be viewed on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The show can also be viewed by appointment; please email saintspreserveusartshow@gmail.com to schedule. 

Media please note: Organizers and curators Cielo Ornelas MacFarlane, Laurie MacFarlane, and Rivkah Simcha are available for interviews.